Well, its come to my attention that I have some messed up brakes. they work, but when the pedal isnt in they're still clamping a little bit. seems that everything on the bottom of the car is rusted. the brake calipers and the brake lines are. should I take them apart and clean them up? see if that fixes it? or should I replace things? I think I should replace the brake lines. If I do replace brake lines, should I go aftermarket? or OEM? while I'm at it, whats the best way to get rid of rust under the car? and whats the best way to clean the bottom of a car? Im tired of getting things in my eyes and stuff like that.

 

Rust is cancer; you must remove the part that has the rust. If you do not get rid of it, it will spread everywhere and destroy your car.

Remove every molecule of the rust, then repaint or replace the parts.

If the bottom of the car is covered in rust, you may wish to locate a new car.

The brake lines are brass, rubber, or stainless (depending on where your looking) and should not be very corroded. If they are, then they need to be replaced.

Brake and clutch fluid are hydroscopic which means that it absorbs moisture/ water. The more water in the fluid the more it compresses, and doesn't do its job. Also if it has a high water point, brake fluid tends to boil much easier, again reducing the brake effect, and dissolving the seals, and springs inside the brake and clutch system.

Look at your owner’s manual. There is a reason Mazda specifies things like change the brake fluid or empty and clean the gas tank out at regular intervals, that most car manufactures don’t tell you.

 

how could a car with an engine in such good condition end up like this? I told myself I wanted to be a better racer before I got a different car. but the shocks are preventing that. and why pay $600 to buy performance shocks when I might be getting a different car? oh the humanity.

 

back or front? if it's the back the e-brake cable might be sticking. it won't be the brake lines. if it's not the e cable then it'll be the calipers. when was the last time you flushed your brake fluid?

 

I agree with Scott on the sticking thing...If its just the rear, then chances are its the cable or its linkage. How many clicks does the hand brake pull up to? It should be between 5 and 8.

But you still need to fix the rusted brake lines and bleed the system.

If its all 4 that are sticking, check to see that the calipers are not stuck and slide freely on their pins. You will need to pull a pin from each caliper and check movement for this. With so much corrosion its a good chance that the calipers are not sliding.

Sounds like you got the car from out of state, back east from somewhere that has a lot of snow, and they salt the roads in winter.

 

You can make new lines by getting tubing and renting/borrowing a bender. It'll be some work, but worthwhile in the end.

Just be glad you don't have ABS and all the BS that comes with it.

 

You can still buy factory hard brake lines from Mazda I just replaced all of mine.

 

does anyone have carfax? I'd like to run my car through it.

 

I can carfax for a couple more days

 

here's my vin number:

JM1FC3312G0116396

thanks, I really appreciate this.

 

Missing the first couple of years off of the record, but it looks like you got a Marine car (someone that was in the service and moved around alot)



VIN:JM1FC3312G0116396
Yr/Make/Model:1986 Mazda RX7
Body:2D H/B 2-seat car
Engine:1.2L Rotary FI
Fuel:Gasoline
Driveline:Rear-wheel drive
Aspiration:Normal
Country Mfg.: Japan

GOOD NEWS! CARFAX search results confirm this 1986 Mazda RX7 (JM1FC3312G0116396) qualifies for the CARFAX $5,000 Clean Title History Guarantee. CARFAX analyzed this vehicle's title history to determine if any title documents were designated or marked with the following problems:

Problem Titles Checked: Results:
Salvage/Junk Checked - No Salvage/Junk Title Found
Rebuilt/Reconstructed Checked - No Rebuilt/Reconstructed Title Found
Flood Damage Checked - No Flood Damage Title Found
Damage Disclosure Checked - No Damage Disclosure Found
Manufacturer Buyback (LEMON) Checked - No Manufacturer Buyback Found
Exceeds Mechanical Limits (EML) Checked - No EML Found
Not Actual Mileage (NAM) Checked - No NAM Found

GOOD NEWS! CARFAX search results on this 1986 Mazda RX7 (JM1FC3312G0116396) did not uncover a potential odometer rollback. CARFAX analyzed this vehicle's reported odometer readings to determine if any reading is less than a previously reported reading.

Date Reported: Odometer Reading:
01/01/1996 59,623

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

01/11/1996 59,483

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08/20/1999 86,606

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08/25/1999 82,000 Reported on 07/05/1998

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09/02/2000 90,725

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11/16/2000 90,428


GOOD NEWS! CARFAX search results on this 1986 Mazda RX7 (JM1FC3312G0116396) did not uncover any of the following problems:

Problems Checked: Results:
Accident Checked - No Accident Record Found
Salvage Auction Checked - No Salvage Auction Record Found
Failed Emissions Inspection Checked - No Failed Emissions Record Found
Fire Damage Checked - No Fire Damage Record Found
Crash Test Vehicle Checked - No Crash Test Vehicle Record Found
Grey Market Vehicle Checked - No Grey Market Vehicle Record Found

CARFAX search results on this 1986 Mazda RX7 (JM1FC3312G0116396) identify the types of state motor vehicle department registrations, other than private, that appear in this vehicle's history.

Registrations Checked: Results:
Lease Checked - No Lease Registration Found
Rental Checked - No Rental Registration Found
Government Checked - No Government Registration Found
Taxi Checked - No Taxi Registration Found
Fleet Checked - No Fleet Registration Found
Commercial Checked - No Commercial Registration Found
Non-Profit Checked - No Non-Profit Registration Found

The CARFAX database contains a total of 11 vehicle history records on this 1986 Mazda RX7 (JM1FC3312G0116396):


DATE
REPORTED ODOMETER
READING INFORMATION
SOURCE GENERAL
COMMENTS

03/14/1989 Maryland
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Lutherville Timonium, MD
Title #13660368
Title or registration issued
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

01/01/1996 59,623 North Carolina
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Fort Bragg, NC
Title #1605944746
Title or registration issued
First lien reported
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

01/11/1996 59,483 Auto Auction
Southeast Region
Vehicle sold
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

07/15/1998 California
Inspection Station
Passed emissions inspection
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

07/23/1998 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Title issued
First lien reported
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

08/20/1999 86,606 California
Inspection Station
San Francisco, CA
Passed emissions inspection

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

08/25/1999 82,000 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Daly City, CA
Title issued
Odometer reading recorded on 07/05/1998

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

08/25/1999 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Title issued
Ownership transfer reported

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09/02/2000 90,725 California
Inspection Station
Fresno, CA
Passed emissions inspection

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

11/16/2000 90,428 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Fresno, CA
Title issued
Ownership transfer reported
First lien reported
Odometer reading recorded on 10/30/2000

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

03/05/2001 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Fresno, CA
Title issued
Ownership transfer reported

 

thanks

 

makes more sense though. with the rust and stuff like that. I'm not sure what i'm going to do.